


Prelude

by noalinnea



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF, The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit RPF, The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2556017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noalinnea/pseuds/noalinnea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Andy has been trying to ask Richard out for weeks- without any success, but he refuses to be discouraged...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prelude

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Galadriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galadriel/gifts).



> For Galadriel as a bonus treat because her prompts were wonderfully inspiring... _Prompt: I'd love something about how Andy bridges the gap between the Hobbit cast (specifically Richard) and the Lord of the Rings cast. Perhaps Andy brings Richard to a gathering of the LotR cast? Introduces him around? Or maybe it's something quieter, just a straightforward piece about how Richard and Andy first get together?_ I hope you enjoy this!

 

On the other side of the dressing room Andy crossed his arms in front of his chest, sighed deeply and shook his head in theatrical exasperation.

“Richard, Richard”, he said. “Don’t look at me like that. We are not asking you to get _wasted_ with us. We are talking about a couple of beers, or one, if you absolutely can’t imagine to have two in the course of one evening. It’s perfectly harmless. Even Ian and Hugo are going to be there.”

Richard combed his fingers through his hair, trying to get rid of some stray remnants of wig glue. Glancing at Andy in the mirror, he raised a questioning eyebrow: “And that’s supposed to be an incentive? They are the worst of the whole bunch!”

Andy grinned. “Well, yes, that might actually be true. But that’s just one more reason, then, why it’s going to be fun.”

Richard turned around and leaned back against the make-up table. With a sigh he shrugged, watching his heel draw a half circle on the threadbare carpet.

Andy regarded him in silence for a moment. When he ventured to speak again, his tone had changed. “Look, I get it”, he said quietly, sinking down into in one of the armchairs. “You need your time to unwind and recharge at the end of the day and you want to go through your lines and prepare for next days shoot”, he continued, his dark eyes fixed on Richard who had lifted his head and was looking at him with an uneasy expression. “And this whole project is pretty damn intimidating, I know that. Trust me. I’ve been there.” He paused. “But nobody around here can even imagine a better Thorin, Richard. You’ve nailed it. He’s perfect.”

An adorable blush colored Richard’s cheeks and Andy watched him shake his head. “You don’t have to say that.”

Andy hummed, his expression still serious. “I know. And I wouldn’t if I didn’t mean it.”

Richard looked at him for a brief second before his eyes darted away again and he swallowed. “Thank you”, he said quietly.

Trying to save both of them from an awkward moment of silence Andy bent down to change his shoes. “So you’re coming, then?” he then asked cheerfully, not so subtly changing the subject.

Richard chuckled. “You thought flattery would get you there, Serkis?”

Andy sighed. “And here I was”, he said, grinning up at Richard, before bending back down to tie his laces. “Thinking that me being there with you and my offer not to leave your side all evening and bring you home safe and sound at the end of the evening would actually make a difference…”

There was not a sound to be heard from Richard, and when Andy raised his head in surprise, having expected a witty retaliation, he saw a fresh blush creeping up Richard’s neck. Their eyes had barely met when Richard's eyes darted to the floor. For a moment neither of them seemed to breathe, and all of a sudden the voices that carried over from the parking lot, barely audible before, seemed to fill the whole room.

“Richard?” Andy finally asked tentatively, not quite daring to move, his heart beating in his throat.

He watched Richard shake his head ever so lightly, watched him absent-mindedly fiddle with the zipper of his jacket while he swallowed hard.

Andy just waited, holding his breath, unsure of what else to do.

Richard’s hand was trembling when he let go of the zipper and placed it next to his thigh onto the table, his fingers tightly gripping its ledge. Andy watched him swallow again, and then his eyes suddenly were back on Andy’s, his gaze wide open. Breathtaking.

“It does”, he said simply, and in his chest Andy’s heart stumbled while his mind sifted through the possible meaning and implications of Richard’s answer.

“It does?” he echoed in want of a smarter reply and wished it had sounded less like a puzzled question and more like Richard’s intriguing statement, while his lips stretched into a smile, circumventing his inner debate.

Across the room Richard answered his smile. “It does”, he repeated. "It does make a difference." And when Andy just continued to sit there, grinning at him, he added with a smirk: “Would you like a written invitation to get up from that damned chair and over here already?”

Andy all but leaped up and crossed the room towards where Richard still was perched onto the make-up table.

“Closer”, Richard murmured, reaching out for him, and tugging him towards himself. Andy watched him cock an eyebrow, a fresh smile tugging at his lips. “I’m going to kiss you now”, he informed Andy in a half-whisper, his voice impossibly low.

Andy could just nod, and wondered fleetingly if he might actually faint, or if Martin would burst out of the wardrobe any moment now and scream: “Gotcha!”

But then Richard pushed himself off the table and suddenly towered above Andy. He reached out, still smiling, and then his fingertips were on Andy’s cheeks, a hint of a touch, on his temple, his chin, before Richard tipped his head and kissed him. _Kissed him._ All lips, soft, gentle, tentative almost, a striking contrast to his bold words a seconds ago, lips, just lips, feather-light, nipping, teasing for a long, long moment before Andy finally got his bearings and dug his fingers into Richard’s shirt, pulling him close and deepening the kiss. Richard didn’t miss a beat and answered in kind, an appreciative hum coming somewhere from within his chest and his hand wrapping around Andy’s neck, almost- no, definitely _possessive_. Andy’s blood thrummed.

“Do you still want to go?” Richard finally asked, nudging Andy’s nose with his, and maybe he sounded just a little breathless.

Just as breathless as Andy. “I really don’t.”

Richard’s chuckle vibrated against his lips. “Good”, he whispered. “Unless you want to drag this out a little while longer?” He slowly, slowly trailed his lips down Andy’s neck.

Andy felt a shiver run down his spine when Richard’s teeth found his earlobe. “I think two months’ worth of a prelude is more than enough.”

“True”, Richard agreed, smirking at him. “But you only ever asked me out for group activities.”

“Because I thought you were shy!”

“I sort of am”, Richard said with a grin.

“Like hell you are”, Andy muttered, pulling him in for another kiss. “My place or yours?” he added when they had to come up for air.

“Mine today”, Richard said, sinking his teeth into Andy's lower lip. “Yours tomorrow…”

 


End file.
